Residents in Windsor and Essex County were not at risk of contamination after tests showed toxins were found in Toledo’s water supply, an official with the Union Water Supply System said.

Two days after warning some 400,000 people in Ohio and Michigan not to drink their tap water, the mayor of Ohio’s fourth-largest city also declared on Monday that the water was now safe and took a sip.

Toledo officials issued a warning Saturday after tests at one treatment plant showed two sample readings for microcystin, a toxin that can cause liver and kidney damage, above the standard for consumption.

The city lifted the advisory after dozens of tests over the weekend showed an algae-induced toxin contaminating Lake Erie had dropped to safe levels following intensive chemical treatments.

As people in the Toledo region were avoiding drinking tap water on the weekend, long lines formed at water distribution centres and store shelves were emptied of bottled water. The warning effectively cut off the water supply to Toledo, most of its suburbs and a few areas in southeastern Michigan.

Dale Dillen, operations manager at Union Water Supply System, said people in Windsor-Essex County had nothing to worry about.

The water in Lake Erie on Ontario’s side is constantly monitored for blue-green algae.

“We’re monitoring the water and haven’t seen anything different,” he said.

Related

Dillen said he has received a few emails from concerned corporate partners about the situation in Toledo. A state of emergency was declared in Ohio’s fourth largest city on Saturday.

Union Water Supply System will take extra precautions by increasing sampling on Tuesday, Dillen added.

The weekend warning had led Ohio Gov. John Kasich to declare a state of emergency in three counties, bringing in soldiers from the Ohio National Guard to deliver bottled water and operate purification systems to produce drinkable water.

Residents were told not to boil the water, brush their teeth with it or cook with it. They filled their cars with bottled water handed out by volunteers. Grocery stores diverted water shipments to the area and farmers stocked tanks with well water. In southeastern Michigan, authorities operated water stations for the 30,000 customers affected by the contamination.

After the ban was lifted, city officials recommended that residents who had not used their water since Saturday flush out their systems. They asked people not to water lawns or wash cars at the risk of overwhelming the system.

Algae blooms during the summer have become more frequent and troublesome around the western end of Lake Erie. The algae growth is fed by phosphorus mainly from farm fertilizer runoff and sewage treatment plants, leaving behind toxins that have contributed to oxygen-deprived dead zones where fish can’t survive. The toxins can kill animals and lead to sickness in humans.

Drinking the tainted water could cause vomiting, cramps and rashes. No serious illnesses had been reported, U.S. health officials said Monday.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Market to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.